2008-03-23 - Easter

Mark 15:22-39 and Mark 16:1-13 (The Message, 2002)

The soldiers brought Jesus to Golgotha, meaning "Skull
Hill." They offered him a mild painkiller (wine mixed with myrrh), but he
wouldn't take it. And they nailed him to the cross. They divided up his clothes
and threw dice to see who would get them. They nailed him up at nine o'clock
in the morning. The charge against himthe king of the jewswas
printed on a poster. Along with him, they crucified two criminals, one to
his right, the other to his left. People passing along the road jeered, shaking
their heads in mock lament: "You bragged that you could tear down the Temple
and then rebuild it in three daysso show us your stuff! Save yourself!
If you're really God's Son, come down from that cross!"

The high priests, along with the religion scholars, were
right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking
fun at him: "He saved othersbut he can't save himself! Messiah, is
he? King of Israel? Then let him climb down from that cross. We'll all become
believers then!" Even the men crucified alongside him joined in the mockery.
At noon the sky became extremely dark. The darkness lasted three hours. At
three o'clock, Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, "Eloi, Eloi,
lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned
me?"

Some of the bystanders who heard him said, "Listen, he's
calling for Elijah." Someone ran off, soaked a sponge in sour wine, put it
on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Let's see if Elijah comes
to take him down." But Jesus, with a loud cry, gave his last breath. At that
moment the Temple curtain ripped right down the middle. When the Roman captain
standing guard in front of him saw that he had quit breathing, he said, "This
has to be the Son of God!"

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother
of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on
Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out
loud to each other, "Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?"

Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled
backit was a huge stoneand walked right in. They saw a young
man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely
taken aback, astonished. He said, "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking
for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He's been raised
up; he's here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty.
Nowon your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead
of you to Galilee. You'll see him there, exactly as he said."

They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves,
their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone.

[After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared early on
Sunday morning to Mary Magdalene, whom he had delivered from seven demons.
She went to his former companions, now weeping and carrying on, and told
them. When they heard her report that she had seen him alive and well, they
didn't believe her. Later he appeared, but in a different form, to two of
them out walking in the countryside. They went back and told the rest, but
they weren't believed either.]